Conveyer system for heat-treating furnaces



'June'3, 1930 F. w. MANKER CONVEYER SYSTEM FOR HEAT TREATING FURNACES Filed Jan. 24, 1929 Sm R 5:26

\NVENTEIRI FW. MANKER;

BY fivrrmmuaY any suitable manner.

reaches a position near the exit end of the fur- 30 be ejected from the furnace,

Patented June v3, 1930 1 UNITED sTATss PATENT' OFFICE FORREST W. OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE SURFACE COMBUSTION COMPANY, INCL, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPOB-ATION OF NEW YORK convmzm SYSTEM FOR HEAT-TREATING FURNACES Applicationfiled January 24, 1929. Serial No. 334,748.

, This invention relates to improvements in conveying mechanism for heat-treating furnaces of the type wherein relatively fiat work such as tin packs may be heated while being passed therethrough. It is anobject of the invention to provide conveyer mechanism and controlling means therefor of such character that the work on arriving a't a position near the exit end of the furnace will automatically actuate instrumentalities adapted to stop the conveyer to prevent the latter from ejecting the work from the furnace and of such character that the operator when i-eady to receive the work may actuate other instrumentalities to cause the work to be quickly ejected from the fur-.

nace.

In accordance with this invention the conveyer is a bed of upright work-supporting 2o disks mounted on shafts which extend crosswise of the furnace, the shafts being driven in When the work nace it actuates a trigger mechanism adapted 26 to stop the conveyer and thus to prevent the conveyer from ejecting the work from the furnace until such time as the conveyer is actuated'by other mechanism under control of the furnace operator. Whemthe work isto that group of disks and shafts adjacent the furnaceexit is caused to rotate at a relatively high speed order to quickly pass the work through the furnace exit, said group, however, aftertthe work has been ejected as aforesaid, again ro-' tating at the same speed as the other part of the conveyer.

The work while being brought up to heat is, of course, tively slowly. If the work were just as slowly ejected-from the furnace, it would cool off very ,4 materially before the work as a whole could be ejected. Moreover, if the operator is not ready to receive the work whenthe conveyer,

if not otherwise controlled,-would'eject the work, the work' will of course cool off andtherefore not be in proper condition for rolling. It will therefore be seen that the present invention provides a simple and practical conveyer system for the proper handling of work moved through the furnace relasuch as tin packs. It will, however, be understood that while the invention finds its principal utility where relatively thin flat Work such as tin packs is to be heated it is not limited to such use.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference is made to the detailed description taken in connection with the ac companying drawing. I

'In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a schematic plan and sectional view of a furnace provided with a disk type conveyer and showing in diagrammatic form a controlling system for operating the conveyer in accordance with my invention,and Fig. 2 is in part a vertical section and end elevation of the furnace shown in Fig. 1.

The furnace is of tunnel type and-has openings at both ends through which the work may enter and leave the furnace, respectively. The furnace'is heated by anysuitable means (not shown). Extending crosswise of the furnace in .a common plane are'two setsof driven shafts 10 and 12 on which are non.-rotatably secured work-supporting disks 14, the work being shown at W. The shafts '10 are driven in unison'by a line shaft 16 which in turn'is driven by a single speed motor 18 through suitable gearing. The shafts 12, are driven by a line shaft 20 which, in turn is driven by a selective two speed motor 22 through suitable gearing. One or more of the shafts 12 may be positioned outside of the furnace to insure complete delivery of the work from the furnace. Rollers 24 adjacent the outer ends of the furnace may be provided for supporting the work prior to its introduction into and delivery from the furnace, respectively. Disposed within the furnace' adjacent the outlet end thereof and in the path of travel of the work is an arm-26 which is secured to a shaft 28 suitably mount- I ed crosswise of the furnace either above or below the disks 11 'Upon the armbeing struck by the advancing work the shaft 28 is given a partial rotation whereupon the conveyer asa whole comes to a stop before the work has been ejected fi om the furnace.

Any suitable instrumentalities may be actuated by the shaft for stopping the conyention the two sets of disk shafts and 12 are assumed to be motor driven by the indi-' fvidual motors 18 and 22, the first of which is a single speed motor and the other a two speed motor. The line wires are indicated at L L Leading from, the line wire L to motors 18 and 22 are wires 30 and 32 respectively. Line wire L enters a switch box 34 from whence wires 36 and 38 lead tomotors 18 and 22 respectively. The arm or trigger shaft 28 enters switch box 34 and by appropriate mechanism breaks the circuit from line wire L to both motors 18 and 22 when the arm 26 of the shaft is struck by the on coming work. Prior to the circuit being broken as said, the motors .rotate at such speed as to drive the two'sets of shafts 10 and tively high 12 at the same rate of speed. The conveyer shafts being stopped as aforesaid, the work remains in the furnace adjacent the outlet end thereof.

Y \Vhen the furnace operator is ready to receive the work he actuates mechanism which will cause the group of shafts 12 to rotate independently of the shafts 10 and at a relarate of speed .in order that the work may be quickly ejected from the furnace. Said mechanism may take any suitable form, a simple form being diagrammatic- As previally illustrated in the drawing. ously stated motor 22 is a two speed motor. The high speed circuit includes wire40, 42 one of which 42 passes at 44. Associated with this switch is a treadle or the like 46 for closing the circuit wire 42 which when closed will allow motor 22 to operate the shafts 12 at high speed with consequent delivery of the work from the furnace. After an appropriate ate mechanism including for example an appropriate electrical connection 48 leading from switch 44 to switch 34, the motor 22 be- .ing then disconnected from its high speed circuit. The conveyer as a whole may then function asxbefore until another piece vof work strikes the trigger arm 26 whereupon thedcycle of operations is repeated as aforesal It will be understood that. the instant lay What is'claimed is:

1. 111 a heat-treating furnace, the combination of a bed of revoluble members adapted to support the work to be heated, means for rotating said members to move the work from one end of the furnace toward the other,

through a time limit switch generally indicated position adjacent the time limit, the linewire L leading to switch box is closed by approprition of a bed of revoluble members adapted Y to supportthe work to be heated, nfeans for rotating said members to move the work from one end of the furnace towai'd the other, means actuated by the moving work when it reaches a predetermined position adjacent the exit end of the furnace for stopping the a rotation of said members, and means for driving a segregated grou jacent the furnace exit at a relatively high speed to eject the work from the furnace, and means for reestablishing connection between said group and the other members for simultaneous rotation after the work has been ejected from the furnace as aforesaid.

3. In a heat-treating furnace, the combination of a bed provided with two sets of revoluble members adapted to support the work to be heated, a low speed motor connected with of said members adthe first set, a,two speed motor connected with v the second set, with its low speed corresponding to the speed of the first motor, means for simultaneously effecting the operation of the first motor and the low speed operation of the ing work when it reaches a predetermined exit end of the furnace to stop both' motors, and means for subsequently efi'ecting operation of the second motor alone at high from the furnace.

4. In a heat-treating furnace, the combina tion of a bed provided with two sets of revoluble members adapted to support the work to be heated, a low speed motor connected with the first set, a two speed motor connected with the second set, with 'its ow speed corresponding to the speed of the first motor, means for simultaneously effecting the operation of the first motor and the low speed second motor, means actuated by the movspeed to eject the work operation of the second motor, means actui ated by the moving work when it reaches a predetermined position adjacent the exit' end of the furnace to stop both motors, means forsubsequently effecting operation of the second motor alone at igh speed to eject the work from the furnace. and means for auto matically restoring the initial lowspeed operation of both motors after a predetermined 7 high speed operation of the second motor. a In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FORREST W. MANKER. 

